Entity materials

An entity material is a named set of shader defines and render states. A client entity maps its own material names to these ("default": "cat"), and a render controller assigns them to bones; each define switches on one stage of the entity shader. Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy) Materials are declared in materials/entity.material as name:parent entries that add or remove defines (+defines, -defines) and states (+states, such as Blending, DisableCulling, DisableDepthWrite, DisableAlphaWrite) over their parent’s. Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy) None of the 226 tagged bedrock-samples releases carries a resource_pack/materials folder. Observed · every bedrock-samples tag Materials newer than the 1.16 file (warden_bioluminescent_layer, player_spectator, copper_golem, allay) are named by the vanilla client entities but defined neither in the 1.16 file nor in any samples release; a code search of GitHub for warden_bioluminescent_layer finds only client entity and texture files. Observed · GitHub code search for warden_bioluminescent_layer

What the defines do

The stages below are those of the 1.16-era GLSL entity shader, in the order the fragment shader runs them: texture, alpha test, vertex colour, colour mask, multi-texture, overlay, light, fog, glint. Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack) MASKED_MULTITEXTURE runs between the texture read and the alpha test, so the alpha test sees the masked result. Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)

Define	Effect	Confidence
ALPHA_TEST	Discards a texel with alpha below 0.5; with USE_COLOR_MASK, only a texel with alpha 0; with USE_EMISSIVE, only a texel whose r + g + b + a is 0 (with USE_ONLY_EMISSIVE, alpha 0 or 1)	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
USE_COLOR_MASK	rgb = mix(rgb, rgb * CHANGE_COLOR.rgb, a), then a *= CHANGE_COLOR.a: the texel’s own alpha is how far the change colour tints it	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
MULTI_COLOR_TINT	The texture is a mask: rgb = mask.r * CHANGE_COLOR.rgb, replaced by mask.g * MULTIPLICATIVE_TINT_CHANGE_COLOR wherever mask.g is above 0	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
MASKED_MULTITEXTURE	Reads the second texture (TEXTURE_1) at the same coordinates and keeps it, except where it is coloured but not opaque (r + g + b above 0 and alpha below 1), where the first texture shows through: color = mix(tex1, color, float(dot(tex1.rgb, vec3(1)) * (1 - tex1.a) > 0))	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
USE_OVERLAY	rgb = mix(rgb, OVERLAY_COLOR.rgb, OVERLAY_COLOR.a), before the light	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
USE_EMISSIVE	color *= mix(1, light, a) instead of color *= light: a texel takes the light by its alpha, so a transparent texel draws at full brightness	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
TINTED_ALPHA_TEST	The alpha test runs on a * OVERLAY_COLOR.a	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)
USE_UV_ANIM	In the vertex shader, uv = UV_ANIM.xy + uv * UV_ANIM.zw	Sourced · SlimeChunkDisplay (shader pack)

The base entity material defines USE_OVERLAY, so nearly every entity material inherits it. Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)

Vanilla materials that read these colours

Material	Parent and additions	Confidence
entity	entity_static + USE_OVERLAY; culled, opaque. chicken and fox are plain entity	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_alphatest	entity_nocull + ALPHA_TEST	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_alphablend	entity + state Blending, with a vertex colour; culled	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_emissive_alpha	entity_nocull + ALPHA_TEST, USE_EMISSIVE	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
villager_v2	entity_alphatest with depthFunc LessEqual	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_multitexture_masked	entity_alphatest + MASKED_MULTITEXTURE, both samplers clamped	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
villager_v2_masked, zombie_villager_v2_masked	entity_multitexture_masked with depthFunc LessEqual	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_change_color	entity_nocull + USE_OVERLAY, USE_COLOR_MASK	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
entity_alphatest_change_color	entity_change_color + ALPHA_TEST, USE_COLOR_MASK, state DisableAlphaWrite	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
cat	entity_alphatest_change_color	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
wolf, sheep	entity_change_color	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
experience_orb	entity + the defines USE_UV_ANIM, ALPHA_TEST, Blending, USE_OVERLAY, USE_MASK (Blending listed as a define, not a state)	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)
charged_creeper	entity_static + USE_UV_ANIM, ALPHA_TEST, additive blending (One, One)	Sourced · bridge. (vanilla resource pack copy)

Where the colours come from

• CHANGE_COLOR is the render controller’s color when it has one, and otherwise the entity’s own colour, its behaviour component minecraft:color (a tame cat’s or wolf’s collar, a sheep’s wool; see behaviour components). Inferred This fits the vanilla data: the cat, wolf and sheep materials mask by it while their render controllers set no color, and the horse’s controller gives this as the fallback of its armour-dye color. Inferred
• OVERLAY_COLOR is the render controller’s overlay_color. Inferred
• UV_ANIM is the render controller’s uv_anim (offset in xy, scale in zw). Inferred

Villager clothes

The villager’s middle render controller draws the biome clothes (array.biomes[query.mark_variant]) as the first texture and the profession (array.professions[variable.profession_index]) as the second, with Material.masked except for a baby or an unskilled villager (profession 0), which get Material.default and so show the biome clothes alone. Observed · the villager_v2 render controllers of bedrock-samples v1.26.60.5 With villager_v2_masked, the profession outfit covers the biome clothes wherever it is opaque or empty-black, and lets them through only at its coloured, translucent texels. Inferred · from the define’s shader line The numbers these arrays are indexed by come from behaviour components.

Tame cat textures

The tame cat textures mark the collar for the colour mask: in 24 of the 25 vanilla *_tame*.tga cat textures, the 16 collar texels have alpha 255 and the rest of the body alpha 4 (adults) or 1 (babies), so the body is drawn (alpha above 0 passes the colour-mask alpha test) and barely tinted while the collar takes the collar colour in full. Observed · the 25 tame cat textures of bedrock-samples v1.26.60.5 graytabby_tame.tga holds only the 16 collar texels. Observed · the 25 tame cat textures of bedrock-samples v1.26.60.5 Drawn with a plain alpha test (below 0.5 discarded), a tame cat would show only its collar. Inferred

Do the current renderer’s materials keep these rules?

The game has since moved to a renderer that compiles its materials, and no material file of it is published. Whether the newer materials (warden_bioluminescent_layer, whose controllers pulse color.a, and player_spectator, drawn with a color alpha of 0.3) use USE_COLOR_MASK or another stage to apply that alpha is not known.